March 2019 LM_19039

Dr. Carmen Ayala Named State Superintendent of Education Eight New ISBE BoardMembers Sworn In Dr. Carmen Ayala was sworn in as the 30th State Superintendent of Education, effective March 1, 2019. Also, the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) swore in eight new Board members and welcomed one returning member at its regular business meeting in February. Governor Pritzker named Darren Reisberg as chair of the Board. Chairperson Reisberg appointed Susan Morrison as chair of the Education Policy Planning Committee and Jane Quinlan as chair of the Finance and Audit Committee. The Board elected Donna Simpson Leak as vice chair of the Board and Cristina Pacione-Zayas as secretary of the Board. Below is biographical information on each member compiled by ISBE.

Dr. Carmen I. Ayala, State Superintendent of Education Dr. Ayala has more than 30 years of education experience, most recently serving as the superintendent of Berwyn North SD #98. She previously served as an assistant superintendent for Plainfield District 202; as a director in Community Consolidated School District #300; and as an assistant superintendent, director of Bilingual Services, and teacher in Aurora East School District #131. She began her career at Chicago Public Schools, serving as a teacher for five years. Dr. Ayala received her Bachelor of Arts from Mundelein College, her MBA from Dominican University, and her Ph.D. in educational leadership and policy studies from Loyola University of Chicago. A special feature on Dr Ayala will appear in the April issue of Leadership Matters.

Darren Reisberg Chair of the Board

Reisberg currently serves as the vice president for strategic initiatives and deputy provost at the University of Chicago. He served the university as vice president and secretary and was the first executive director of the university’s Institute of Politics. He currently serves on the institute’s Board of Advisors. Reisberg previously served as general counsel and deputy superintendent of ISBE. In those roles, he counseled the State Superintendent of Education and State Board of Education on legal, policy and operational matters. He also was an employment and labor attorney at the Chicago law firm of Sidley Austin LLP and worked as a judicial law clerk for U.S. District Court Judge Rebecca R. Pallmeyer. Reisberg received his Juris Doctor from Yale Law School and his Bachelor of Arts in political science at Duke University.

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